Toward the Light
by NotTasha
Summary: Ezra, Nathan and Josiah happen upon a collapsed mine, with children trapped inside. It's up to Ezra to get them out
1. Toward the Light 1

**TOWARD THE LIGHT**  
_By NotTasha... not entirely in the dark _

**Part 1: **

Three riders made their way across the arid plain. The tall dark-skinned man rode beside the huge man. Both of them chatted amicably in the heat of the day. Slightly behind them was a rider in a bright blue jacket, who took off his black low-crown hat from time to time and fanned himself with it. The healer, preacher and gambler were heading home after delivering a set of prisoners to a distant town. Now, tired and sore from the long ride and the heat, they journeyed alongside a mine-pocked hillside.

Josiah glanced back at Ezra and shook his head. _Standish always makes his way to the back,_ the preacher thought. _He could just as easily ride along side. _Jackson had pointed this out to Sanchez some time ago. The healer's theory was that the gambler preferred the protection provided by having extra bodies in front of him, but the preacher wondered if that was the actual case.

When any of the Seven road together, the preacher noticed that the gambler often started off near the front, but with the jostling for position and movement of the horses, he usually ended up in the back. People would pair up and start conversations and the con man would drift toward the end. It was just the way of things. Even now, with Josiah aware of the situation, he found himself engrossed in a discussion with Nathan, and Ezra disappearing behind them.

_After all the time that the Seven had spent together, Ezra still considered himself the odd man out, _Josiah thought. The preacher had attempted to correct the situation, but it seemed that whenever he did try to draw the southerner in, it only worked to make Standish more defensive and cause him to withdraw. A curious thing really. Anyone with a passing familiarity with the gambler would have thought him to be a very gregarious man, quick to enter a conversation, well-mannered and witty, but it was only after you spent some time around him that his reticent nature became more apparent.

The gambler kept his cards close to the vest, revealing nothing that might come back haunt him. Strangely enough, he had no problem with revealing his worst aspects. Ezra wore his flaws as if they were medals of a failed war. He seemed to go out of his way to convince people that he was nothing more than a lazy, bastard, ready to fleece anyone at a moment's notice. It was this façade that kept people at bay, led them to believe that this was a man not worth knowing, not worth the trouble, not friendship material.

_Perhaps Ezra doesn't even know, _Josiah thought, _that he is none of the things he pretends. It must simply be easier for him. If he didn't let anyone close to him, then no one could hurt him. _

Nathan and Josiah had been discussing plans for the church and when they came to a pause in their conversation, a voice spoke. "A moment, gentlemen," Ezra said. The two turned around to see the gambler smiling at them, his hands casually draped over the pommel of his saddle. "It appears that Chaucer is thirsty and would like to pause for a cool refreshment."

"Ezra, we gotta make up some time," Nathan said tiredly. "Buck and JD will be waiting for us in Ferris and we're not gonna make it there 'til tomorrow. I mean, we stopped not that long ago."

Ezra dismounted and moved until he was in front of the horse. "Chaucer, old friend, are you thirsty?" The horse nodded its head expansively. "Would you like to take advantage of the refreshment provided by this ostentatious example of a waterway?" Ezra pointed to a meandering creek -- little more than a trickle really -- and the horse again nodded. "Do you believe that this is an unreasonable request that will throw our schedule into unmitigated chaos?" The horse violently shook his head and snorted. Ezra raised his gaze and grinned at the two riders.

Josiah shook his head and laughed. "I do believe that horse is the only one who can understand you," he said. Josiah could never catch the signals that Ezra used with the horse. "You should join a circus with that trick-pony of yours, Ezra." He turned to Nathan and caught the healer's disgusted look.

"Circus? No." Ezra frowned. "Perhaps an accredited university would be more proper." When Chaucer nodded again, Ezra pointed at the horse and smiled.

"Enough of the tricks, Ezra," Nathan said. He had only recently learned about the _'sick horse'_ ploy that Ezra had taught Chaucer and was fairly certain that the conman had used this more than once to get out of patrol duty. "We gotta get moving," Nathan said. "Remember that rumble we heard? Sounds like a storm a'comin'."

Ezra glanced about at the cloudless sky and Nathan continued, "Water your horse and stop foolin' around."

Ezra knelt by the creek and set his hat to the side. He washed his face and ran his hands through his hair while the three horses took time drink. The gambler was hot, dusty and sweaty from the ride, and was more than happy to take a moment to clean up. He hated being dirty.

_Ezra Standish, _he thought as he sat back on his heels, _what are you doing with your life? You should be sitting on a riverboat on the Mississippi right now or perhaps relaxing in a casino in St. Louis instead of getting so hopelessly dusty._ He patted at the sleeves of his jacket and sighed at the cloud of dust that was raised. _No fine fabric deserved that sort of abuse._

"Intolerantly sweltering today," Ezra muttered glaring toward the sun. _What the hell am I doing here, _he thought. _This is not the life I had planned._ He frowned at the golden disk in the sky. He was meant for much more than this. He considered removing his lightweight jacket, but it at least provided some protection from the sun.

He idly gazed at the water, looking for the telltale flecks of gold. Nothing.

"Come on, Ezra," Nathan said again. "We gotta get a-move on."

Ezra splashed a handful of water against Chaucer's legs. "Yes," he said. "We wouldn't want to keep Mr. Wilmington and Mr. Dunne waiting. There is no end to the trouble they might find."

Nathan watched as Ezra started to stand. The healer furrowed his brow as he suddenly noticed something in the water, just coming into view. "What's that, Ezra?" Nathan asked, pointing.

Ezra quickly returned his attention to the stream, thinking that maybe Jackson had spotted what Ezra had missed. Instead he saw a dark liquid flowing in the water...muted and disappearing as it mixed in the stream. He turned back to the healer. "I believe it's exactly what you think it is."

Nathan nodded. "Blood," he said thoughtfully.

Ezra quickly mounted his horse. "Do we investigate?" he asked.

"It's probably a mountain lion's kill," Josiah said, his eye tracing the narrow path of the creek -- up the side of the hill, where it twisted into unseen places.

Nathan nodded. "Probably right, but, we'd better take a look. Someone may be hurt." He pulled his rifle from its scabbard and said, "We'd best be cautious. Don't want to surprise a grizzly or mountain lion durin' its feeding."

**Part 2: **

The three headed upstream, seeing the water still ribboned with darkness. It seemed to come and go. Josiah kept his eyes forward, looking for whatever possible danger lay ahead as they continued upward.

A feral cry stopped them in their tracks. They held their weapons ready and listened. It took a moment for them to recognize the sound as human, an anguished voice screaming out, "No! No! No!"

They drove their horses onward, rounding a bend and came upon a disaster. A woman lay beside the creek, bloody from head to foot, and a man was frantically throwing himself onto a wall of rocks. He was shoving his weight against a boulder -- nearly as large as he was -- desperately trying to propel it aside.

Nathan was off his horse and at the woman's side as Ezra and Josiah headed toward the man.

"What happened?" Josiah called.

The man turned, his eyes huge with terror. He didn't seem able to take in the three strangers. His mouth fell open.

Something suddenly snapped in place and he shouted, "Thank God! Thank God! You gotta help me. My girls are in there!" He was a miner, a huge man, covered in dust and sweat. His gaze fell upon Nathan and the woman.

Nathan felt hopelessly for a pulse as the miner said, "Mavis, she's..."

Nathan sighed and stood quietly over the woman for a moment. Then he carefully moved the woman further from the creek and pulled her hands over her chest. "She's gone," Jackson said. There was no hope for the woman. Her skull was crushed.

"It just came down. The whole cursed thing came down," the man said. "Help me!"

Josiah stepped alongside the miner as Nathan joined him. Josiah nodded to the man. "I'm Josiah, that's Nathan and there's Ezra."

The man looked dumbfounded for a moment, as if introductions were the furthest thing from his mind. "Sam Abbott," he said as he again started moving the stones.

Nathan threw himself into the work, trying to shift the insurmountable pile. He too was sweating in a matter of minutes in the oven-like heat. He glanced over at Ezra, who was standing apart, watching them with a critical eye.

"You ain't gonna tell me that you refuse to do any menial labor?" the healer growled.

Ezra walked slowly around the scene. "Perhaps that would be accurate," Ezra said thoughtfully, fanning himself with his hat. "I'm afraid that your efforts'll be to no avail. It's doubtful that the four of us would be able to move this mountain."

Josiah had to agree. It appeared that this wasn't a small cave-in. The whole front of the mine was gone.

"Where were they? The girls?" Josiah asked Sam

"They were about 100 yards in," Sam told. "They didn't get hit by this. I'm sure of it."

"Mr. Abbott, are you aware of any other entrances, or perhaps an air vent?" Ezra asked.

Sam stopped and looked at the gambler who stood quietly waiting. Abbott nodded. "Yeah, yeah, we got a natural chimney." He stood suddenly. "We can get down it!"

Abbott moved quickly, grabbing a pair of lanterns and pointing. "Get those ropes. We'll need 'em," he spouted before he took off at a run up the hillside.

Josiah picked up one of the coils of rope and grinned at Ezra. "Good thinkin', Ezra," Sanchez commended as headed after the miner, with Nathan close behind, with the second coil.

"One must always be on one's toes," Ezra replied.

It took some time to make it to the top of the steep hillside. Then they traveled a respectable distance before they reached a small fenced off area. Sam pulled the fence down and lifted a board. "There!" The hole was a black smudge on the ground. "It leads into one of the outer tunnels," he said.

Josiah looked downward into complete darkness. The cold breath of the mountain breathed through the hole, creating a luxurious chill in the heated air.

Sam checked the lanterns. "It's a good thing that one of these is full," he said. "Elsewise, I'd have to go back to the cabin for more kerosene."

Sam lit one of the lanterns, tied it to the end of a rope, and then slowly dropped it into the shaft. The four men watched as the lantern illuminated the passageway. They were silent. The shaft was narrow -- very narrow. When the lantern hit the bottom, they sat back and summed each other up. Sam was not as tall as either Josiah or Nathan, but he was a man of prodigious girth.

Ezra gazed back down the hole, gauging the diameter and realizing that he would be the only man who could fit. He wasn't a slight man, but he was narrower than his companions. He sighed. "I do suppose it'll fall to me," he said as he pulled off his jacket.

"Think you can fit?" Josiah asked.

Ezra cocked his head and pulled off his hat. "I shall endeavor to try." He looked back to Sam. "Mr. Abbott, how exactly will I locate your offspring?"

Sam looked puzzled. "Your girls," Josiah supplied as prepared the ropes. "How's he gonna find 'em?"

"Might I hope that your mining expertise created a straight path?" Ezra drawled.

Sam bit his lip. "These caves are natural in this part."

"Natural formations?" Ezra said, unstrapping the derringer from his arm, with Sam watching the activity in suspicion. "Then it shall not be a direct route?"

"Ah, no," Sam said.

Ezra set the small weapon and its rigging beside his jacket and started to unbuckle his shoulder harness. He waited a moment, wondering if Abbott would catch the clue. "Perhaps you can tell me the way?" he asked finally, realizing that he wouldn't.

Sam nodded and said, "Okay, when you get down there, you'll go this way," he pointed vaguely northward, away from the main entrance. He met Ezra's skeptical glance. "It doubles back. You'll go that way until you come to a tunnel to the ... left. You take that until you get to this down-slope. Go down that and head to the... right. That'll go for a bit. Stay to the right 'cause there are about three or four tunnels that branch off of there. It'll narrow down a bit, then you'll reach the main tunnel."

"I take it you have not been pursuing this profession for very long," Ezra said with a sigh. _God, how he hated amateurs._ "Three or four tunnels? You can't be more specific, Mr. Abbott?" The gambler set his gun belt with the rest of his weaponry.

"Just go 'til you get to the main tunnel! " Sam snapped. "It's the wide one. You'll go up that about 100 yards that's where you'll find Prue and Dor. There's this nook off to the side that we got set up for sleepin'."

"Off to which side?" Ezra asked.

"It's damn obvious. Listen to me, it's the only room on that tunnel! They were sleeping in the mine 'cause of the heat."

"Very well," Ezra said. "Northward, left, down, right, right, right, right and possibly right again, left to the large tunnel until I reach a 'nook' approximately 100 yards later..."

"Sounds like a long way," Nathan interjected.

"Not that far. The whole thing won't take more than an hour if he does what I told 'im." He turned to Ezra and said, "Just do like I say, cause the tunnels twist every which way. That's why I haven't been mining all of 'em. They're a bitch. Can't get my equipment over the lake anyway."

Ezra waited a beat. "Lake? I don't recall you mentioning that before."

Sam shook his head in frustration. "Damn it, it doesn't have anything to do with how to get to Prue and Dor! It's hardly more than a puddle."

"Mr. Abbott, if I'm to be crossing a lake it'd be of use to know when I'll encounter it."

"It's after the down-slope."

"Before or after the right turn?" Ezra inquired, taking one end of the rope from Josiah and shrugging the loop over his shoulders.

Sam frowned and said, "No, it's a left turn. Didn't you listen to me?"

Ezra stopped trying to position the rope. "You most certainly said '_right'_."

Sam stomped about in a small circle in frustration. "It's a left! Ya gotta go left!"

"Is the lake before or after the _left_ turn, Mr. Abbott?"

"After, damn it! Why're you making this so hard? I'd be down there already if I only fit. It's my own damnable luck that you're the only one who can git down there."

Ezra looked back toward Nathan and Josiah in concern.

"You okay with this, Ezra?" Josiah asked.

"Northward, left, down, _left, _a body of waterright, right, right and possibly right again, left to the large tunnel until I reach a '_nook_' approximately 100 yards later. I believe that I'll be capable."

Nathan pulled the lantern out of the chimney to clear the way. It was going to be tight. They needed nothing in the way.

"Ready?" Josiah asked.

"As I'll ever be," Ezra replied. "I'll enjoy the cooler climes in any case. Shall we begin?" The three men grabbed hold of the rope and Ezra stepped out over the hole. He braced one foot against the side of the pit, then let the others take on his weight. They lowered him slowly.

"How ya doin'?" Josiah called out as Ezra disappeared into the blackness.

"Your assumption was correct. The quarters are rather tight."

"Don't get yerself stuck," Nathan shouted down as they let out the rope. He felt the cord slacken. "Ezra?" he called, unable to see what was going on.

"A moment while I maneuver around this rather...ungainly...obstruction..." Ezra called. For a few moments the cord remained limp and then following a grunt, the weight on the rope increased again. "It appears I'm clear of it," Ezra drawled from below. They continued to lower the gambler into the pit until finally the rope slacked again.

"I made it. Give me a moment to get out of these ropes, then perhaps you'll and return my jacket and the light."

The rope was pulled out of the hole and Josiah grabbed Ezra's jacket. He regarded it for a moment before he shouted, "You gonna be warm enough in this, Ezra?"

"The reduction in temperature is rather refreshing," Ezra replied.

Sam lowered the lantern again and Ezra retrieved it when it reached him. He brushed at his shirtsleeves irritatedly when he noticed how filthy they were. Josiah lowered Ezra's jacket and hat along with a canteen. The gambler smiled up at them.

"How's it look down there?" Josiah asked.

"Dark mostly," was the reply.

Sam leaned over the pit. "You gonna find 'em. You'd better find 'em."

"I shall indeed," Ezra promised, as he settled his hat -- wondering if he even needed it in this sunless place. With a shrug, he figured it would keep his head warm.

"You be careful, Ezra," Nathan said. "Don't get lost."

Ezra pulled a card from his pocket. "I'll mark my path, thus there'll be no difficulties." He set the Ace of Spades down on the ground where he was standing.

"You don't come back without them!" Sam suddenly shouted into the hole. "Don't you dare come back without my girls!"

"I assure you, I will not return without your children," Ezra said touching the brim of his hat. "Good day, gentlemen," he said and stepped out from under the hole and disappeared from sight.

"Ezra," Josiah called down. "Ezra!" He looked up at Nathan and Sam. Didn't they hear what he just said? "Ezra, you come back if you can't find them!" Josiah shouted into the vent.

**Part 3: **

The cavern was a relief, so cool, dark and close. Ezra found it all rather relaxing. He was a night-person and was never afraid of the dark as a child and not the least bit claustrophobic.

The endless nights spent in casinos and taverns, learning his trade, would eventual wear out the young Standish. He'd end up seeking out tiny dark places to sleep, where he wouldn't be stepped on or used as a _'lucky charm'_ by any cretin that felt the need to rub his head. As a child, he would wedge himself into cupboards and onto the shelves under the bar, under benches, into closets. Once he found a loose board and a refuge beneath the flooring. He would fall asleep to the casino cacophony. He would awaken the following morning in his hide-hole and step out into an empty saloon. With any luck he would be able to find something to eat and then would spend hours practicing with cards while he waited until his mother hopefully returned to claim him.

Ezra paused, removed his hat and rested his head against the cold rock that surrounded him. His head ached from the heat he had just escaped from. He studied the short distance illuminated by the light. The ground was uneven and sloping both downward and to the left. No time to tarry, he'd have to find the children. They had been in here, alone, for too long. _No one should be left alone in the dark_, he thought.

He adjusted the canteen on his shoulder and started walking again. He came to a fork in the tunnel and pulled a random card from his pocket. He set the Three of Diamonds at the entrance to the tunnel on the right, and then turned to the left.

Ezra sighed, hoping that this was correct. Abbott's confused directions did not sit well with the gambler. He was heading into the darkness without the ability to trust the instructions he was given. "Dor?" He called out softly, knowing that he was still some distance from the girls. "Prue?" Who in their right mind would name children such unbeautiful names?

The slope increased. That boded well. He set down another card, the Eight of Spades and continued walking. He ran one hand along the wall as he walked to keep his balance. The odd shadows thrown up by the lantern and the uneven floor were somewhat disorientating. He kept a quick pace as he continued down the tunnel.

**Part 4: **

Sam paced near the pit. "Oh God, Mavis. I should do something for her -- my dear Mavis."

"We'll see to her," Nathan said as he quietly stood.

"She tried to go back," Sam muttered. "We heard the cave-in start and she tried to go back to the girls. I had to dig her out." He rubbed the back of his hand across his face. "She was tryin' t'save them."

Sam stopped his endless movements and said, "When I bought this mine, I thought it was gonna be a godsend. It was gonna make us rich."

"Didn't happen?" Josiah asked.

Sam shook his head. "It's pretty near played out. We ended up selling nearly everything we had. All we got left is a cabin. And now, and now... my Mavis is gone and my dear girls are trapped. Oh God, I may never see them again."

"Ezra will find them," Josiah said reassuringly.

Sam frowned. "What does he know about mines?"

"I think he knows a thing or two," Nathan replied, remembering their rough beginnings with Standish.

Sam said nothing. He didn't trust the gambler. Standish didn't look like the kind who could carry out this plan. Sam had seen a lot of folk like that fancy-dressed fella. He remembered one in particular, the one that had sold him this mine. He gritted his teeth remembering the fast-talking snake who promised a rich gold mine and delivered a hole in the ground.

Nathan looked to the sky and said, "It'll be getting dark soon. Maybe we should get a fire started. Those girls will be cold."

Josiah touched Sam on the shoulder and said, "Let's get some supplies. We'll go see to your wife, too. I can say a word or two for her if you like."

The miner nodded. "Gotta take care of her."

Josiah glanced back to Nathan as the two of them moved down the hill. "Give us a holler when Ezra comes back."

Nathan watched the two men depart and turned back to the pit. With any luck, Ezra would be back before Josiah and Sam were finished. He sat down beside the hole to wait.

**Part 5: **

As Ezra walked, he scrutinized the walls of the cave. "What in Heaven's name were they mining here?" he asked aloud. He had seen no trace of gold, hadn't even seen the proper rock formations to signal its presence. He shook his head slowly. It looked as if Abbott had been sold a bum claim.

"I wonder which scam they pulled," Ezra muttered, keeping a good pace.

When he reached the end of the down-slope and found the disputed fork in the tunnel, he paused. He hoped Abbott had provided him with the correct path. Ezra pulled another card from his pocket -- Jack of Diamonds. He set it at the turn and headed down the left fork. Apparently the direction was correct because he came upon the promised lake shortly after that.

"A rather impressive puddle to say the least," the gambler said as he squatted at the edge of the underground pool. It was at least twelve feet across and clear as glass. It filled the cavern, making fording it the only possible means of continuing. He squinted at the crystal-clear water for a moment, trying to gage its depth. It looked as if it could be three feet deep in the middle.

"Yes indeed, quite a puddle." His voice echoed eerily in the watery cavern.

_Ezra, what have you gotten yourself into? What in God's Green Earth are you doing in this blasted cave with its underground sea? What possessed you to come down here in the first place?_ He glanced at his hands, noting how filthy they had become.

_Look at this! The only soil on these hands should be the ink from new bills._ He dipped his hands into the icy water and washed up as best he could.

He flicked his fingers, trying to draw off the last bits of moisture. _No time to waste, _he thought. _We can't leave those children waiting, now can we? _

His hopes of staying dry had been dashed. At least he could keep his boots from being ruined, he thought as he pulled them off. After thinking a moment, removed his socks and trousers as well. He carefully folded the pants and then his jacket. He pulled another card out of the pocket -- Queen of Clubs. He took a moment to position it at the side of the pond before he turned back to the water

"Well, I had best get on with it," he said as he stepped slowly into the cold water. Not too bad, he thought he tested the rocky floor. He picked up his clothing, in one hand and the lantern in the other. The crossing was fairly easy. The water only came up to his thighs at the deepest point, but he was chilled by the time he climbed out on the far side.

He wished he had something to dry off with, but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. He dressed again and pulled out another card and set it strategically on the ground -- Seven of Hearts. Mentally he backtracked the cards he had left to this point -- Seven of Hearts, Queen of Clubs, Jack of Diamonds, Eight of Spades, Three of Diamonds, Ace of Spades... easy.

He gazed down the tunnel, wondering at the distance of his destination -- shouldn't be too much further. Abbott had said the total trip should take no more than an hour.

Ezra hoped nothing went wrong. Something always seemed to go wrong when others were counting on him. He looked back across the underground lake and wished that the vent had been a bit wider, that perhaps Nathan or Josiah would have been able to fit as well. Nathan and Josiah wouldn't fail. The two of them were made of far nobler material than he could hope to aspire to. He smiled thinking that if Josiah could fit, maybe they could have brought the horses, too. Well, if wishes were horses... he reminded himself.

_Somebody will have to find those children, he thought, and it will have to be you. No sense wishing for miracles. You were the only one who fit. You're the only one. _

He rubbed his legs through his trousers. His skin was numb under the fabric. The water must have been colder than he thought. Good thing he'd only had to cross it twice. He wanted to avoid that chill as much as possible. Damn, he was starting to shiver. There wasn't much of a chance to warm up in this sunless place. The best remedy would be movement.

He picked up the lantern and frowned as he held it. He shook it slowly and listened to the hollow sound of kerosene sloshing. The tank sounded almost empty.

"Good Lord," Ezra muttered, "And damnation."

**Part 6: **

Nathan was standing, holding a lantern when Josiah and Sam returned with firewood and blankets. "How much fuel was in Ezra's lantern?" the healer demanded.

Sam paused and looked to Nathan. His face was somber from the task of burying his wife. "What?" Abbott asked, unable to find an answer to such an insignificant question.

"The lantern that he went down there with," Nathan restated. "How much fuel?"

Sam finally seemed to grasp the question. "It was full."

"When you brought up the equipment, you said that only one was full."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

Nathan shook his head slowly and extended the lantern in his hand. "This one's full."

"What are you saying?" Josiah asked, startled. He dropped the firewood and stepped forward to grab the lamp from Nathan. He shook it, feeling the weight. "We sent him down there without a full tank?"

The miner didn't seem to understand for a moment, and then his mouth dropped open. "I, I, I meant to give him that one." Sam looked frantically between the two. "I meant to use the other one to survey the pit and the full one was supposed to be the one he used." Abbott's lip quivered. "Oh my girls!"

Josiah gazed down into the dark pit. "How much kerosene was in that other one, that lantern that Ezra has right now? How much time?"

Sam's face distorted in agony. "Oh Dor... Prue,"

"How long will he have light?" Nathan demanded.

"I don't know," Sam shook his head. _Damn that gambler, he would find a way to ruin this. _"Should be enough. Should be, as long as he doesn't get lost or screw around too much."

**Part 7: **

Ezra moved quickly in the meager light. He had turned the wick down as low as possible and now the lantern emitted only a pale glow. He calculated that he had enough kerosene to last the hour...longer if he kept the light to a minimum. He saw no sense in wasting time by returning for more fuel before he found them. He was almost there. He had no idea if the second lantern was full either. If Abbott needed to return to his home for more kerosene, it would only further delaying the rescue attempt.

No, he'd have to push on. Make due with what he had.

He counted the branching caves as he kept to the right, and marked each new entrance with another card. He named the side tunnels, using the cards: Two of Clubs, Ace of Diamonds, King of Hearts. The tunnel he was following was becoming progressively narrower and soon he was crouching to move onward.

"Where have you led me, Mr. Abbott?" he asked the darkness as he reached the fourth off-shoot and still saw no sign of a larger tunnel. He pulled another card and set the Four of Clubs at the conjunction.

"The man can neither count nor hold a simple set of directions in his head," Ezra drawled. Now what? Abbott did say that the tunnel would narrow before he reached the larger one, but by how much?

_Continue onward,_ he thought, Abbott had not been specific on the number of right turns. Perhaps he meant five instead of three or four. The tunnel could open up again at any moment.

He continued on, using his hand to help guide him. He was still cold from crossing the lake -- funny because he was so hot just a short while ago. He had been more than happy to step out of that heat and bright sunlight. Now all he wanted to do was get back into it. He walked until it became obvious that he would have to crawl soon.

Ezra set down the lantern and crouched down for a moment. He peered down the dark passage, noting that it would continue to diminish in both width and height. This was ludicrous. He was obviously on the wrong path. _Another senseless endeavor_, he thought.

He would have to backtrack now. Test some of the side tunnels, see if he could find the way. Damnation, how was he supposed to do this? If the others had been with him, they could have split up to better search this cave. Now, it was obvious that he had chosen the wrong way and had done nothing but delay his discovery of the children. He shook his head in frustration at his own incompetence.

He pulled another card and left the Nine of Diamonds to mark his furthermost point and headed back toward the Four of Clubs.

**Part 8: **

Nathan started a fire, ready to warm the children after spending so much time in the caves. Josiah kept watch over the pit. They had lowered the second lantern into it, hoping that the light might provide some direction to the wayward gambler.

"Come back, Ezra," Josiah said quietly, his eyes on the Ace of Spades that marked Ezra's starting point. Find those girls and come back. Or, at least, realize that your lantern is low on fuel and return for more. Don't stay out there. Come back.

Josiah tried to imagine what the gambler would do if he discovered the insufficient amount of kerosene. Anyone who didn't know Ezra well would instantly surmise that he would return. They might think that the self-serving con man would think only of himself. But Josiah had a sinking suspicion that the opposite would be true.

_Damn fool's gonna keep on going, _Josiah thought. Ezra promised that he wouldn't come back without them. _He knows he's the only one who can get them out. I just hope he considers comin' back for some help. _

Josiah figured that the gambler had spent too much time on his own, relying only on himself. Looking for assistance was probably something he never really considered. _Ezra_, Josiah thought, _you gotta start believing that we're a team. _

Josiah mused on the Ace that lay beneath him. Of course, the gambler would have chosen the highest card as his own -- the show-off. But, Sanchez thought, depending on the game, the Ace could also have the lowest value. A contrary card, both high and low at the same time.

"Come back," Josiah sighed as he pulled on the rope, causing the lantern to swing. The Ace of Spades had other connotations that the preacher didn't want to think about. Wasn't it the _'death card'_? _Come back you stupid fool,_ he thought. _Don't you go risking your life. Don't you get lost in there._

Ezra was always taking stupid risks. Well, maybe one should say... well-calculated risks. Of course, that there was always some sort of a goal in mind whenever Ezra suddenly became heroic. The only problem was that the gambler didn't always weigh the risk in a reasonable fashion. _He risks too much,_ Josiah thought. _Doesn't consider his own life that much of a wager. _

Josiah looked up to see Sam pacing anxiously, rubbing his hands together and sighing. "My girls, my girls. What's going to happen to them? What if he forgets what I told him?"

"Ezra will find 'em," Nathan reassured. "Don't worry. He's got a memory like a steel trap. He'll find 'em."

Josiah checked his pocket watch. "He should have been back by now." The preacher returned his attention to the hole in the ground. _It was so dark in there, _he thought. _What would happen when the fuel ran out? _

**Part 9: **

Ezra tried the tunnel where he had left the Four of Clubs, following it until it came to an end approximately 50 yards from where it started. He slammed his open hand against the rock in frustration. Damn it, wrong again!

He drew another card. "Five of Diamonds," he said out loud as he set it down. There was no need to mark the end, but it helped him to keep track of where he had been. He could play back the cards in his head, as if it were a poker game, watching where every number fell.

He backtracked to the King of Hearts tunnel and glared into it. Should I try it? He tried it.

After continuing down the King of Hearts tunnel for several minutes, he came across another branch, on the left. Ezra pulled a card -- Six of Hearts -- and set it at the opening before continuing to the right. He followed the King tunnel to its end.

"Another wall," he muttered, running his hands along the surface as if he could find a secret opening if he tried hard enough. He jerked another card out of his pocket and left the Three of Spades before doubling back to the Six.

The gambler sloshed the lantern again as he gazed down the Six of Hearts tunnel. He was running out of time. The fuel would be spent before too long. The Six didn't look promising. He decided against trying it. He continued along the King of Hearts tunnel, then back in the direction he had come from, and arrived at the Ace of Diamonds.

"Ace of Diamonds, will you be lucky for me?" he asked as he gazed down the offshoot.

"A moment," he said and sat down again. He was growing tired from walking over the uneven floor, of having to feel along the wall to keep his balance, of hurrying through the dimness. He was cold and hungry, and time was growing short. "Just a moment while I catch my breath."

He would have to succeed. Why did everything have to be so difficult for him? This should have been a simple task, just walk along a tunnel, find a couple of children and come back out. What could be easier?

He grimaced at the shape of his jacket. How could it get so soiled? No, he just wasn't made for this sort of work. He shook his head, wondering why the hell he had stayed in Four Corners for so long.

"They are ruining you," he said aloud as he slowly stood.

"Dor?" he called, "Prue?" There was no reply. He picked up the lantern to step into the Ace of Diamonds tunnel. As soon as he lifted the device, the light sputtered and was gone.

"Ah, hell," he grumbled in the blackness.

**Part 10: **

Nathan spread the blankets out near the fire to warm them. Night had fallen and the desert air quickly cooled. He glanced over at Josiah who continued to sit beside the pit, keeping his eye on the light below. The preacher's face was filled with concern.

The healer shook his head slowly, wondering what Standish would think if he saw that look. Nathan chuckled as he decided that the independent con man wouldn't like it. No, not one bit.

He looked to Sam, who stood beside the fire, staring at the dancing flames. The man was trying to grieve the loss of his wife, but he was so tied up in the anxiety over his missing children, that he couldn't quite decide what to feel.

_Ezra will find them, _Nathan said to himself. He had no doubt about that. He and the gambler had their differences, that was certain. Jackson found that Standish was one of the most exasperating people he had ever known. There were times when he couldn't even deal with the smooth cardsharp. Standish had such unconscionable morals.

Nathan knew that couldn't trust the gambler with certain things -- money for one. Couldn't trust him to be honest. Couldn't trust him at cards -- the man had to be cheating to win so often. But without a doubt, Nathan could trust Ezra with his life. Could trust him with something like this.

Nathan knew that the gambler would return with the children. Come hell or high water, he'd do it. They would only have to wait.

Jackson stood for a moment beside the fire, warming himself, before turning toward the darkness in search of more wood.

**Part 11: **

Ezra stood for a moment, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the new level of darkness, and then he realized that they never would. This was complete blackness. He held his hand up before his face, almost touching his eyes, and not seeing anything.

Now what?

He glanced over his shoulder, as if he could see in that direction any better than in his current position. Could he find his way back? Well, yes...probably.

He faced forward again. But those children were still out there somewhere. If he were to go back now for more kerosene, it would only delay their rescue even longer. He could just as easily continue on a bit further. He had to be nearly there. See if he could find them at the end of this tunnel.

Ezra reached along the wall and moved his foot forward slowly, trying to find a place where the ground was even enough to stand easily. He reached and stepped again and continued along. He had gone an appreciable distance when his head almost coming in contact with a rocky formation; he felt the coolness against his temple, and stopped before he hit it.

He lurched back, having to fight to keep his balance. This was not going to be easy. He set down the worthless lantern and put his left hand before his head as he reached out with his right. At least he wasn't going to crack his head open, he thought as he stepped forward again.

Where he had been able to move relatively quickly before, he found his speed greatly reduced. _Faster, you have to go faster,_ he thought. _This will do no good at all. They're waiting for someone to help them. _

He tried to press himself to increase his speed but it was frustratingly difficult. The ground was too uneven, the walls of the tunnel twisted back and forth, the ceiling would come down unexpectedly, causing him to stoop.

_Consider yourself. Consider what you've been reduced to...groping along a detestably dirty cavern like an imbecile. _He chuckled, wondering what his mother would think of him at this moment.

_No gain in this, dear Mother, _he thought.

Never had he known such absolute blackness. He was stumbling into the unknown, completely blind. He reached out from time to time with his left arm, feeling along the opposite wall. He paused when he realized that he reached another branch. Thoughtfully, he pulled another card from his pocket and laughed. He squinted at the card and held it directly in front of his eyes.

Finally, he pressed it against his forehead and divined, "Seven of Spades!" He had no way of telling, but at least it gave him a name to ascribe to the new tunnel. He set the card at the entrance to the offshoot and continued to the right.

It was getting easier, as he became used to the strange blindness. He found that he was able to move a little faster as he gained confidence. Just keep moving along the wall. You can handle that, can't you?

_I can't believe I'm doing this,_ he thought. _What the hell is the matter with me? _

Ezra reached out, stepped forward and tried to put his foot down. He couldn't find a decent footing so he moved his foot further and tried again. There was nothing to step onto. The ground disappeared from beneath him, pitching him forward.

No!

He fell. He threw his arms over his head, and curling himself into a ball as he dropped into the black.

He slammed hard against the rocks, knocking the wind out of him. Pain jolted through his arm and hip. White stars flashed through his head... almost welcome in the darkness. He gasped, as he lay on the cold stone.

...oh God.

Ezra blinked into the black and then closed his eyes.

**Part 12: **

"We could get a gang together and move that debris out of the front of the tunnel," Josiah said hopefully.

Sam shook his head slowly. "We're a day's ride from the nearest town. There are a few of other miners in the area, but they're scattered."

"Then we'll get 'em at first light," Josiah said. "We'll get anyone we can lay our hands on and move that mountain."

"We should be down there right now, movin' what we can," Sam moaned.

"We gotta keep at least one man here," Nathan reminded. "And two of us ain't gonna make more than a dent on those rocks."

"Can you think of anyone nearby who can fit through that vent?" Josiah asked.

Sam pondered the question. "The Fergeson boy is kinda slim. No wait, he left for the East Coast. His pa is a big man and his ma would never make it. The Klein brothers wouldn't. Let's see..." He tapped his head as he thought.

Ezra had disappeared into the cave five hours ago. The day that had been so unbearably hot, had turned cold with the darkness. The three men sat near the fire and considered their options.

There weren't many.

Josiah grumbled in frustration and got to his feet again. "Something must have happened. We've gotta get him out of there. It's been too long."

"My daughters, my girls..." Sam said, looking up at the big man. "He's gotta get my girls out of there."

Josiah nodded. Yes, the girls would have to be saved, but Lord, he wanted to get Ezra out of there... now. Five hours is an awful long time to be in such a cold dark place. Sam had been unable to give him any idea of how long the fuel in that lantern would last, but Josiah was rather sure that it had gone out by now.

Josiah had knowledge of mines, having traveled with his missionary father almost everywhere. Miners were always in need of salvation. His father was eager to provide it.

Josiah could still remember the breathless fear of the time he had traveled deep into one of the caves with a torch. His father had been preaching to the men as they worked and little Josiah had wandered away. He had been pretending he was a fearless explorer, discovering a magic cavern.

Then, his torch had gone out plunging him into blackness.

His father had been near. Josiah had seen the lanterns of his father and the miners, but the lights had been distant points of brightness --- far from him. Young Josiah had stood and screamed in that blackness until his father had come running to him and lightly scolded him.

"You only needed to come to the light, boy," his father had admonished. "Just come toward the light."

Josiah smiled, remembering how his father had taken that moment to begin a sermon to the miners that had also heeded the cries of the young boy. "If we would only come to the light, we shall be saved. If we remain in the darkness, like this poor child, we shall be just as lost as he was."

Josiah still remembered the joy he had felt in seeing the light come toward him, of finding his father beside him. That was before things had become so difficult between them, when uncertainty could be brushed away as easily as tears from the face of a child.

He looked back down at the lantern at the end of the rope. They had to find Ezra, then get him and those girls out of there. Josiah knew that their chances of quickly finding someone to help would be difficult -- a nearly moonless night, too dark to go searching for the scattered neighbors.

And how would they be able to find Ezra? If he was wandering around in there without any light, there was no telling where the gambler was by now. How in God's creation would they find him?

Ezra was probably the only one who would be able to get Ezra out of there.

_Come toward the light,_ Josiah thought, looking at the lantern, _because I'm afraid it's not going to come for you. _

Sam stood beside Josiah and stared angrily into the pit. "He'd be here by now if he just followed the directions I gave 'im."

**Part 13: **

_Get up, Standish. _

_No, no, I'd really prefer not. Thank you for your suggestion. _

_Get up! You must get moving again. You'll never get out of here unless you get up. _

_But it'd be so much easier to remain. I'm certain that I'd only aggravate my condition with unnecessary movement. _

_Don't be such a child. You're the only one who can help yourself. Do you think that anyone is going to come after you? Would anyone bother?_

Maybe, after a time. They may think it worthwhile. 

_Don't kid yourself. Of what worth are you anyway? _

_Some... I think... some._

They wouldn't be able to find you in any case. Get up. Get moving! 

_But I can't see in this blackness...so frustrating. I'm so terribly cold. I don't think I can move my arm. It hurts. _

_Your legs aren't broken. You can manage. _

_But it's so difficult. _

_As if that is anything new to you. Be a man. Get up. Start moving again. _

_My head hurts. Bleeding, I think. Perhaps I have a concussion. Really, I should remain still. _

_If you stay here, you'll die. _

_That's possible, but it'd be easier than moving. _

_What about those girls? _

Ezra slowly pushed himself into a seated position, gasping as he pulled his arm close to him.

"I'm up," he told himself. He leaned against the cold stone and tried to get his barings. How far did he fall? Where did he fall from? The blackness was so complete, he could almost feel it pressing against his eyes. His whole left side ached, his arm was the worst. He moved his feet tentatively. He was correct about one thing... his legs weren't broken -- the left one just felt like hell. His arm, well, it was in bad shape.

He stood slowly, trying to keep his weight off of his bruised side, steadying himself along the wall with his good hand. His head swam for a moment as he caught his balance. He breathed deeply, trying not to get sick.

_Damn it to hell,_ he thought.

He figured he must have fallen from somewhere behind him. He felt along that rock and decided that it wouldn't be too hard to scale the wall, there were handholds at least.

_I guess that means I'm going to be climbing. _

_Now what? _He tried to wiggle the fingers on his left hand and was rewarded only with pain. He ran his right hand along his left arm. The whole arm tingled. Every time he tried to move it, he felt a jolt of pain travel through his shoulder.

_Not again, _he thought. _Why do I have this penchant for dislocating my shoulders? It just proves the fact that I'm not meant for this lifestyle. No, leave that to the cowboys and other assorted ruffians who could keep their shoulder-joints in place anytime they smacked into a stone surface. _

He'd have to do something about this before he continued.

He sat down with some difficulty and carefully removed his jacket, suspenders, waistcoat, and then removed his shirt. Each layer was painfully difficult to get over his injured arm, which he kept cradled in his lap. Once he removed the shirt he fashioned it into a makeshift sling and did his best to secure his left arm to himself.

He shivered as he pulled on the suspenders, using them to further secure his arm in place. Then he tugged the waistcoat and jacket back over himself, able to pull only one arm through. He buttoned the jacket up one-handedly, glad that he had the dexterity to perform the task.

He took a moment to feel around for his hat and the canteen. The canteen was found fairly quickly, but despite his efforts, the hat remained missing. Ezra scowled into the darkness. Damn, he liked that hat. It was perfect. He'd probably have to go back to Baton Rouge to get a decent replacement.

_Baton Rouge,_ he thought wistfully. _What I wouldn't do to be there right now. There was this lovely little tavern there, The Bluebird. I did fairly well in that establishment. I wonder if Miss Monique is still the proprietor. She had such lovely copper-colored hair. She thought I was quite the scoundrel and had me thrown out on... what was it?...three occasions? _

He shook his head. _No time for this nonsense. Those children are counting on me. I must be on his way. _

He felt around one more time for the hat and then stood slowly, aware of how much his left side ached. He waited a moment to get his balance again. His stomach seemed to be settling at least.

He touched his head softly, feeling the sticky wetness of blood. With a little exploration he found its source, a long cut near his hairline.

_Ow!_

You'll survive. Time to get climbing. 

He stood at the base of the wall for a moment and then reached up to find a handhold. He wedged his right foot into a crevice and pulled himself up a few inches. His left leg seemed reluctant to follow suit. _Damn, this wasn't going to be easy._ He leaned his left elbow against the wall, sucking in his breath at the almost electric pain and found a new handhold with his right.

_All right, just go slowly, you can make it. _

"Miss Monique," he said alloud. "Yes, she was quite the beauty. Remember her smile? Of course you saw enough of her other expressions. Now, what did she call you? _'Damn cheatin' cardsharp_;' _'detestable worm;' 'slithering no-good no-account trouble-maker;' 'foul blight on the continent_.' that was a good one. Threw you out three times."

He moved his right foot to a new ledge and leaned again against his left elbow. He quickly reached to find a new handhold with his right. Damn! He couldn't find anything fast enough and his left arm just wasn't going to give him any help. With a groan of disgust, he slid back to the beginning.

_Damn! Damn! Damn! _

_Try again. _

Reach and step and lean and step and reach and step and lean. _Just keep going. You'll get out. Doesn't matter that you can't see a thing. Doesn't matter that your left leg doesn't seem to want to bend, that your left arm is no use at all. Doesn't matter that your hand is so cold you can barely feel the rocks. Doesn't matter. _

He seemed to be doing better this time. Just reach and step and lean.

_Yes, Miss Monique threw you out three times. Why did she keep allowing you to return? Maybe she appreciated the fact that you helped out from time-to-time with the rabble-rousers. Hard to figure people sometimes. Yes, you never know what people will do. _

_Why did Larabee let you stay? Now that was a puzzler. _

He leaned against that annoyingly painful arm and reached again. _Ow! _

_Why in Heaven's name did Larabee give him a second chance? I wouldn't have done the same in that position. No, if someone were to run out on me like that, well, I'd cut him loose in no time. Relieve myself of that blackguard, that dead weight. Can't trust someone like that. And yet... _

His left foot couldn't find a ledge and he slid back down again

_Ah hell! _

He had been able to make an appreciable distance that time and now he was back where he started. He stood for a moment, scowling at the unseen wall in front of him. He rubbed his hand along his side. Damn, he was cold. He touched his shoulder tentatively. Yeah, that hurt.

_What the hell was expected of me? _

_Try again. _

He found himself scaling the wall once more. Doing better now...gaining some distance...creating a rhythm he could deal with. He found a way he could use his left arm without causing too much aggravation. If he didn't try to bend the left leg he could use it for leverage more than anything. This just might work. He just hoped he was heading in the right direction.

_I guess I just don't understand, _he thought as he fought his way upward. Larabee and the others were just a mystery to him. This whole blasted existence he found himself in.. well, it made no sense at all.

_Baton Rouge...wouldn't it be nice to be in Baton Rouge right now? Why wasn't he in Baton Rouge? Or St. Louis? Or San Francisco? Or Sacramento? Or hell, anywhere... _

_Could somebody please explain to me why I have remained with these six unwashed gunslingers? I can't even begin to fathom the amount of money that I have lost by remaining here. I was earning a fairly decent living before I stumbled upon this group of men... these six. _

_Reach and step and lean and step and reach and step and lean and step and don't stop. Don't break your rhythm._

What kind of living was that anyway? 

He had no idea of how much time had passed... all in all, it was probably minutes -- the distance covered was likely little more than seven or eight feet, but felt like forever. Finally found the top of the wall. He scrambled over the ledge and lay against the cold stone floor of the upper cave, breathing heavily.

_Made it. _

He didn't move for several minutes, letting himself catch his breath. Finally he rubbed his one hand against his face miserably. He pulled back the hand, disgusted at the stickiness of his face. His head ached, his arm was barking with pain, he could hardly move his leg, his whole left side hurt...and he'd lost his hat.

_Damn, that was an exceptional hat. _

_Come on now, you must get moving again. His eyes strained to see anything. Time to get moving. _

**Part 14: **

The night dragged on. Josiah pulled the lantern out of the pit when it eventually ran out of fuel. Sam had returned with bottle of kerosene and the device was refilled and lowered again.

The preacher checked his watch. "Eight hours," he said out loud.

Nathan sighed. "We should'a sent him down with a blanket, a better coat or somethin'."

Josiah nodded slowly and looked out beyond the light created by their fire, toward the sky -- with its stars and pale sliver of a moon. He remembered his few moments of terror in the blackness of a cave. More than anything, it was the aloneness that had frightened him. He had been so terrifyingly alone.

"I hope he's found those girls," Josiah said aloud. Not just for the sake of the children, but for Ezra as well. He shouldn't be alone in that place.

Sam, who paced like an animal beside the fire, stopped and said. "If anything happens to them...If he comes back without them..." Abbott waved vaguely as if he hadn't quite decided what to do. "He's probably just got himself lost out there, just sittin' there waiting for someone to get him out. If he only listened to what I told him, my girls would be safe by now. God, I never should'a listened to him in the first place. If we just kept at it, we'd probably have the front of the cave cleared. Hell, I could'a done that by myself."

Abbott stared into the flames and said, "That gambler is the same sorta lowlife that sold me this damnable mine. Makin' promises he got no thought o' keepin'."

Josiah stood quickly and took three quick steps toward Sam, catching him by his collar. "I think it's time you shut up," he growled into the miner's face.

Sam's eyes went wide with fear. "I dinnent mean nothin'." He struggled against the preacher's grasp. "Just worried is all. I.. I... just don't know what I'm gonna do if he doesn't come back with 'em."

"You got no right to bad-mouth Ezra," Josiah said darkly, pulling Abbott to his feet.

Nathan grabbed Josiah's arm and said, "Let 'im loose, Josiah."

Abbott turned frantically to Jackson since Sanchez didn't seem ready to release his grip. "They mean so much to me. It tears my heart to think that they're in danger. That they're alone in there. I'm s'pose to be watchin' for 'em. I'm the one responsible for 'em. I'm their Papa."

Josiah, with a groan of disgust, dropped his grip on Abbott and turned away.

Sam sniffed loudly and rubbed his nose. "I can't do nuttin' for 'em right now. It just tears at me."

"Ezra's down there lookin' for 'em. Probably with 'em by now," Jackson assured. "Don't worry none. He'll get 'em out."

Josiah shook his head as he moved back toward the pit. If it weren't for Nathan he might have taken as swing at the miner.

"I'm just worried is all," Abbott continued. "They're my children."

Yes, his children, Josiah thought. Sam had every right to be worried, to be making rash statements. No, Josiah couldn't blame him.

The preacher looked again at the card that lay at the bottom of the pit, illuminated by the lantern. _People will say crazy things when their children are in danger. _The preacher sighed, worried about the gambler, lost in those tunnels without any light. Josiah felt that he knew what Sam was going through, with Ezra lost as well. Sanchez shook his head slowly. When did he start thinking of Ezra in that way?

Josiah had had enough of 'family' in his youth and his young adulthood. He had sworn off all vestiges of it as he grew. He saw to his sister's wellbeing and little more. But, since he had joined up with the lawmen at Four Corners, his opinion had changed. They had become the family he thought he would never want again.

JD was everyone's younger brother, everyone's surrogate son. The loss of the young man's mother was still so fresh, he needed this sort of attention. Of course he often bridled against it, but Josiah could see a look of gratitude under the sheriff's protests.

So why did Josiah feel so paternal toward Ezra and not JD? Because Ezra needs a parent. It was funny that the one of them who still had a mother was the one who seemed to require parental guidance so badly.

_Maude is a magnificent woman,_ Josiah thought with a warm smile, _but I doubt that she was much of a mama for Ezra._ No, Josiah doubted if Maude ever taught _'right from wrong'_... more likely it was _'how to make wrong look right_.' She could tell a good story about young Ezra's shenanigans... but the stories rang strangely false at times. Sanchez wondered if anything Maude had told them about Ezra was true.

Josiah thought again about his own father and how the missionary had always tried to keep his son on the straight and narrow, on the path toward the light. It seemed that the path Maude chose for Ezra was somewhat different.

_Ah Ezra, _Josiah thought, looking down at the lamp below, _come on back. _

Nathan stood beside Josiah, and lay a hand on his shoulder. "Get a little rest, okay Josiah?" The healer said softly. "We'll take shifts. It's time someone else watched for a while."

Josiah nodded, not wanting to give up his vigil. He moved away from the pit and back toward the fire where he met Abbott's gaze.

The miner smiled sadly before dropping his head. Abbott looked haunted. He'd lost his wife and was in danger of loosing his children. No, Josiah couldn't blame him.

Josiah stared out into the night again, remembering how very dark the darkness could be.

**Part 15: **

Ezra slowly found his way back along the cave, leaning his weight against the wall the whole time. When he found a side tunnel, he felt about until he grasped the card he had left earlier. "Seven of Spades," he said confidently. He could still picture the network of twisting caves, could see them like a map drawn in three-dimensions in his head -- carefully labeled with the cards he had left to mark them.

_All right, now what? _He should go back to the beginning. He wasn't going to be of much use in this condition. He couldn't even stay upright without leaning against the wall.

But he hadn't found those children yet. Wasn't that the whole reason for him being down here? He had to be close. If he went back now he would only prolong this damned fool mission. Yes, he could refill the lantern... if he could find it... but he would only have to return to this very juncture. He'd probably only be kicking himself later when he discovered how close he had been when he'd turned back.

It wasn't as if he could quit. Nobody else could fit through the vent. Going all the way back and forth would not do him any good in his present condition. Nathan would probably throw a fit when he saw what had happened... and... well... there was another problem he didn't want to consider at this moment. The best thing would be to press on.

He cautiously entered the Seven of Spades tunnel -- into the unknown again. Every move was deliberate now. He did try to hurry, but his body rebelled. It wasn't just the pain that the movement caused -- his legs seemed unwilling to step forward until they were undoubtedly sure that there was going to be something to support him. His hand crawled forward timidly. He moved his head judiciously, unprotected; his head was on its own.

He did his best to keep his left arm immobile. As long as he didn't bump into the walls, it was okay. As long has he didn't jar it, the arm wouldn't hurt too badly. Of course, that was hard to do when he couldn't see where he was going. The fact that he felt a little dizzy didn't help either. He found that he was trembling, too.

"Just the cold," he said to himself. "You're only shivering due to the cold. You are not afraid. There is no reason to be afraid."

_Perhaps you are shaking out of sheer stupidity. This is insane. Why are you still out here searching through tunnels that might drop out on you just as that previous one did? You should go back. There's no sense to this. Go back. _

_You could be on the Gulf Coast this very moment, on a nice warm beach, listening to the sound of the waves lapping the shore. You could be on a riverboat, taking advantage of the gaming tables, making your fortune. You could be in St. Louis or Boston or New York or Paris or Vienna or hell... Baltimore. _

He felt the wall turn out suddenly and he stepped in a new tunnel. He reached across and tried to find the far side, and couldn't. _Ah_, he thought, _the main tunnel at last. _

He pulled another card from his pocket and thought blindly -- _Ace of Clubs_. He set down the card at the entrance to the tunnel he had just vacated. Then he stepped into the main part of the mine.

Suddenly a sound invaded his senses. Funny, he hadn't noticed the absence of sound until this moment. He had been so long in this quiet cold darkness, that the return of noise startled him. It was a timid call, like the coo of a dove. It took him a moment to realize that it was the sound of a child crying.

"Dor, darlin' is that you?" Ezra called. " Prue? Your father sent me."

The crying abruptly ceased. "Who's there?" a quiet voice asked, the voice of a small girl.

_Thank God! Oh, thank God! _"My name's Ezra," he called into the blackness. "I've come to get you out." He'd found them!

Standish could hear them making little noises and scrambling around. It was hard to tell how far away they were.

"Stay perfectly still and I'll come to you," he said. Two voices tearfully agreed. He moved as quickly as he dared, scrabbling along the wall toward them, shaking. _Don't be so childish, _he told himself.

"Tell me, dear hearts, which one of you is Miss Prue?"

"I'm Prue," a voice answered in the black. She couldn't be more than five or six years old. Ezra homed in on the sound and headed toward it.

"Would that be short for Prudence? Prunella?"

"It's Prudence but nobody calls me that."

"Ah, it is a lovely name. It means _'the prudent'_."

"Yeah?" the voice sounded unsure.

Ezra continued to feel his way toward them, through the almost tangible blackness. "It means you are very wise, very smart."

He heard the voice giggle.

"And am I to suppose that the other of you is named Miss Dor?"

"That's me!" The second voice sounded younger than the first.

_Good Lord_, Ezra thought, the younger one couldn't have been older than three or four years old. "I do suppose your name is actually somewhat longer than that. Would it be Dorothy? Dora? Isadora? Doris?"

"It's Dorette! Wazzat mean?"

Ezra racked his somewhat sluggish brain. "It means that you are a gift. A little gift," he said, hoping that the name translated from Greek.

"I'm a gift!" the younger voice said.

"A lovely gift, for certain," Ezra said, trying to hurry, but his left leg just didn't want to comply.

"My name mean's that I'm smarter than you," Prue said to her sister.

"Yeah, but I'm a gift. That means I'm special."

And almost at once, the voices were just in front of him. "I'm here now, dears," Ezra said. He reached out with his one hand, feeling in the blackness. He touched something, a narrow shoulder. The body jerked away from him for only a second and then the child came at him, wrapping her arms around him. He gasped as the young child pressed against his arm.

"You came! You came!"

He felt the second grab onto him, chirping, "You're real!" They latched onto him as if they had no intention of ever letting go.

"Clearly, I'm real as are you." He could easily feel that the younger child was wrapped in a blanket, but the elder seemed to be wearing nothing more than a summer shift. _She must be cold_, he thought. " Miss Prudence. Don't you have a blanket?"

Prue sniffed and said, "We waited and waited for mommy and dad but they dinnent come so we started looking for a way out and Dor forgot her blanket in the nook and so I gave her mine," she took a breath, "and then the lantern went out and we were too scared to move and we couldn't find the nook and we dinnent know where we were and we were all alone." She finished with a sob.

"Well, you're no longer alone. Miss Prudence, darlin'. I've a favor to ask of you," Ezra said, touching the larger child's shoulder.

"Yes, Mr. Ezra," the girl responded.

He carefully shrugged the children off of himself and unbuttoned his jacket. He slid it off his shoulders, then found Prue and wrapped it around her. "Miss Prudence, you must take care of my jacket for me."

"Thank you, Mr. Ezra," Prue said and grabbing onto him again, much more gently this time. "I'll take good care of it." Then she added as she felt the sling over his arm. "Are you hurt?"

"I took a bit of a tumble," Ezra explained. "So you must be gentle with me."

"We will," Dorette said, carefully finding his good hand in the dark and holding it tightly. "You come to get us out?"

"Yes indeed, we shall begin our journey almost immediately. Are either of you fine young ladies thirsty?"

"Yes please, Mr. Ezra," Prue said.

Ezra picked up the canteen and placed it into Prue's hands. The two drank their fill and returned it to the gambler. "Shall we begin?" he asked.

"But it's so dark," Prue said, her voice sounded haunted in the blackness.

"No matter." He smiled reassuringly, even though they could not see him. "We only need to follow the path I've marked."

"I can't see any path," Prue said.

"But I can," Ezra replied. "You must understand, I can see it clear as day, and will have us free from this detestable quarry in no time at all." He heard the girls laugh at the sound of his words. "Are you ready to depart?"

"Yes, Mr. Ezra," Prue said, leaning her head against his chest."

"I wanna get out of the dark. Can we please?" Dorette said timidly.

He patted her back and said, "Of course, Darlin'. We'll be back in the light in no time at all."

**TBC**


	2. Toward the Light 2

**TOWARD THE LIGHT**- the second half

**Part 16: **

"Josiah," Nathan said, sitting beside the preacher at the fire. "Get some rest. Sam's watching."

Josiah looked toward the pit, where the miner stared into its depths. "Where is he? Where's Ezra?"

"He'll be back," Nathan assured. "You know Ezra."

"It's been almost ten hours. How long has he been in the dark?" Josiah asked sadly. "No light at all. What's happened to him?"

Nathan smiled, trying to seem reassuring. "I'm sure he's fine. Probably just got himself turned around a bit. He'll be back to the vent any moment now."

"Think he's okay?"

Nathan nodded. _Yeah_, Jackson thought, _he's gotta be._

Nathan patted Josiah on the shoulder and said, "The sun will be up soon. Let's try to get a little rest. We'll be busy again come morning."

Josiah nodded and rolled over and tried to sleep, but his rest was invaded with a feeling of hopelessness, of a black coldness. He was a man that was used to getting what he wanted. It was terribly frustrating to just sit here and wait for the hours to pass, knowing that Ezra should have been back long ago, knowing that there was no way to get to him.

He closed his eyes and remembered. As a child, he had been in the blackness for only a minute, yet why was it bothering him so much now? The memory had never troubled him before, so why was it now? _Because Ezra's down there, _he thought. _You're worried about him._

Josiah fell asleep and dreamed he was walking through the mine of his childhood, with a torch that would never fail, looking endlessly and tirelessly for Ezra.

**Part 17:**

The man and the two small girls moved slowly back through the caves. Ezra replayed the route in his head, remembering every twist and wrong turn, correcting his incorrect moves and keeping them on the true path. He recited the cards to himself as he groped his way along the tunnel: Ace of Clubs, Seven of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, Two of Clubs, Seven of Hearts, Queen of Clubs, Jack of Diamonds, Eight of Spades, Three of Diamonds, Ace of Spades. He repeated the sequence silently over and over, forcing himself to remember them. He was having difficulty remembering things now.

He had a full house. How much would he wager on that hand?

He found the 'Ace' that marked the entrance to their return path. He held it in his hand for a moment, thumbing the corner until he realized he had bent it. Then he absently shoved it in is waistcoat pocket, along with the supposed 'Seven' when they reached it. After he traveled a little farther he realized that was not very wise. He may need to backtrack at some point and now he had removed his markers.

_Chalk that up to the usual Standish good sense, _he thought as he continued. He found the spent lantern and left it behind as they moved slowly and carefully along.

He used the canteen's strap as a lifeline to the children. The canteen was tight against his right shoulder, with Prue holding the strap behind him and Dor holding onto her other hand. Ezra was stumbling more often, having trouble keeping his balance. _Must keep moving. _He could feel the blood from his head wound running into his eyes and down his neck, irritatingly. He squeezed his eyes shut and steeled himself against the discomfort.

Ezra encouraged Prue and Dorette to sing or talk as they traveled along. They sang little snippets of songs, children's songs, the sorts of thing he had never learned. There was no time for such foolishness in his childhood. He smiled at the nonsense lyrics. _It would have been nice_, he thought. Their singing voices let him to know they were still there and left him to concentrate on his task. It was getting harder and harder to do so.

He found the Ace of Diamonds and made his way toward the Two of Clubs. Just go from one card to the next. That wasn't too difficult. The blackness was so disorientating. He had no frame of reference outside of his memory of the path. He groped along, feeling more lightheaded as he moved. The girls continued to sing cheerfully.

_Lovely little ladies, _he thought. _They trust me. They believe that I shall bring them to safety._

All he wanted to do at this point was stop. His leg hurt so terribly. If he concentrated on that pain, his arm was almost bearable. The blood dripping down around his eyes disturbed him. He shuddered, miserable at the thought of how awful he must appear at that moment. At least there was one benefit to the darkness.

"Mr. Ezra?" Prue asked.

"Yes, my dear."

"I'm thirsty again."

"Then you'll have to have another drink." Ezra leaned against the stone wall and slowly lowered himself to the ground. The two girls crawled carefully into his lap even before he managed to settle himself.

"I dinnent hurt ya, did I, Mr. Ezra?" Prue asked when Ezra sucked in his breath.

"No, my dear," Ezra replied, gritting his teeth as the girl moved off his left leg. "I was only trying to catch my breath, as I'm rather tired."

He uncorked the canteen and handed it to the older sister who drank what she needed and passed the vessel to the younger one.

"I'm tired, too, Ezra," Dorette said, snuggling up next to him.

"Me, too," Prue agreed. The three of them sat quietly in the darkness for several minutes. Prue was careful to not press against his arm.

_Prudence, _Ezra thought, _you are a considerate and darling child. Dorette sighed as he rested his hand on her head. And you, dear Dorette, are a little lamb._

It was so good to be still for a while, just to sit quietly and catch his breath. He breathed deeply and was glad he wasn't shaking so badly anymore, but he was so damn cold. The girls must be just as cold. He'd have to get them back to the vent. Get them out of this wretched place.

"My dears, we can't remain here. Your father awaits you." _Poor motherless children, the least I can do is to get them out of this tomb._

"Daddy?" Dorette said, sitting up.

"Yes, Dorette, your father is very eager to see you."

The two girls climbed off of the gambler's lap and he stood slowly, painfully. He head swam for a moment as he fought to find his balance. It was so difficult without being able to see, without standing on level ground. Then, once he made certain that the girls again had a handle on the canteen strap, he headed back down the black path.

He found the Two of Clubs and headed toward the Seven of Hearts. He knew that he had reached it when he heard that curious echo created by the underground lake.

"Careful," Ezra said. "Watch out for the water."

"Are we at the pool?" Prudence asked. "Daddy showed me it once. It's so beautiful."

"Beautiful?" Ezra said. He hadn't considered the lake to be _'beautiful'_ -- nuisance would be a better word -- but at this moment, he was heartily glad to have reached it.

"Yes, it's beautiful." He slowly crouched down beside it. The effort seemed to have increased in difficulty from a few minutes ago. He felt around until his hand touched the still water. He dipped in his hand, cupping it and rubbed the water on his face. If he could just remove some of this blood, he'd feel better. It probably didn't do much good, but at least he was able to remove some of the sticky mess that was plaguing him.

"Now, sit quietly," he said. He tried to pull off his boots, but stopped when he discovered he couldn't get any leverage with one hand, that the effort telegraphed across to his left shoulder -- _ow!_ -- and couldn't bend his left leg far enough in any case to reach that foot.

_Well, it would appear that I shall be getting wet, _he thought. _I suppose it is better this way, at least I will not need to disrobe before these young things. _He regretted the damage that his boots would suffer. They were extraordinarily fine boots.

He stepped into the water and wondered why the water didn't seem so cold this time. He sighed. It did seem to knock the pain back a level or two in his leg at least. If he could just stay here, if he could just stay.

"Ezra! Ezra! Where are you?" he heard Dorette cry.

Ezra reached out and touched the child. "Miss Dorette, it's time to cross over. Reach out your hand." He felt around in the darkness until he clasped the tiny child's hand.

He picked her up with his right arm and tried to hold her without jostling his left as they started back across the water. She snuggled up close to him and said, "Will you carry me all the way?"

He moved cautiously across the wet expanse. It was only a few steps, but he had to feel his way with his feet. And now with his injuries and unbalanced by the child, he had to be careful.

"I would love to be able to do so, my dear, but I'm afraid that would be difficult as only have one arm available and this too shall fail if I attempt such an endeavor." The girl giggled at the sounds of his words, unable to understand them all. They reached the other side of the pool and he set her down.

"I'll return with your sister in but a moment."

"Ezra! Ezra! Come get me!" Prue called.

Prudence was gentle as she wrapped her arms around his neck and sat into the crook of his arm. "I don't want to hurt you none," she said softly.

"Dearest Prudence, you could never do such a thing," Ezra said as he headed back across, trying to ignore the pain that the extra weight was causing him. He set her on the far bank and the two sisters twittered to each other.

It took some added effort to raise himself back out of the water, and once out, he had to sit for a moment to regain his strength. The cold water seemed to have sapped any reserves he had left. His arm was screaming now in pain, but at least his leg had benefited from the numbing water. _My legs were really what mattered_, he thought. _They are what I need to keep moving._

_Queen of Clubs,_ he thought. They had made it to the Queen of Clubs. Now, just a few cards left...Jack of Diamonds was next. They could make it to the Jack of Diamonds.

"Are we ready, my dears?" He asked. The two voices chimed in that they were, so the small procession continued. Ezra groping his way forward, trying to ignore the ringing in his head. All he wanted to do was lay down and rest. The blackness was almost suffocating.

With every step he seemed to be losing more of his strength. He was fading fast. He'd have to finish this task soon or else he'd never get the girls out of this cave.

He found the Jack of Diamonds and the group rested again. Dorette fell sleep against him and Prudence had to awaken her. _No,_ he thought, _we can't stop again. Must keep moving. The Eight of Spades is the next goal. That shouldn't be hard. _But it was all up hill from now on.

They painstakingly made their way up the slope. _Just make it to the Eight of Spades, then it will be the Three of Diamonds and the Ace of Spades. Almost there!_ He stumbled onward. _Where in the hell was the Eight of Spades?_

_Where am I? Have I gotten us lost? _His head was spinning. He had no time to stoop down and look for the markers. _Oh God, have I gotten them lost? Eight of Spades... where was it?_

He thought it was a trick of the brain when he saw the glow ahead of him. Then a fear reached him, remembering a story he had heard once about people who were dying seeing a light at an end to a tunnel. _No,_ he thought, _not now. I haven't gotten them out yet. Not now. I haven't made it to the Eight yet._

It wasn't until Prue said, "I can see sunlight!" that he realized that he was indeed seeing light. Something shone, just around the bend.

Had he missed both the Eight and the Three and made it back to the Ace? Were they almost there? He continued forward with new determination. They were going to make it.

But the blasted light was so strong. The closer they came to it, the brighter it became, like a knife stabbing at his eyes. It was unbearable. The girls were whimpering now against the painful brightness.

"Stay here," Ezra said, reassuringly. "I'll take care of it."

**Part 18:**

Something awakened him. Josiah lay quietly for a moment, listening in the dawn. What was that?

"Josiah!" The voice was suddenly recognizable. The preacher sat bolt upright and looked toward the hole in the ground. Sam was asleep beside it.

Josiah stumbled over toward the pit as the voice continued, "Josiah! Nathan!"

The preacher smiled. _Thank God! Oh, thank you, Lord!_ "I'm here, Ezra!" Josiah shouted down into the hole. It was completely black below. He shoved Sam awake. "What happened to the lantern?"

Sam blinked at him as he awoke. "What?"

Nathan was up as well, moving in with the others. "Ezra?"

"I turned out the light," the voice drawled from below.

"He made it," Nathan said under his breath and thumped Josiah on the shoulder, grinning.

"Ezra," Josiah called, "It's damn good to hear you! Why'd you put out the lantern?"

"Too bright, wasn't it Misses Prudence and Dorette?"

"Prue! Dor!" Sam cried and was rewarded with the voices of the two children yelling "Daddy".

"Ezra, you found them!" Nathan said joyfully.

"Of course, Mr. Jackson."

"I want to see my daughters!" Sam demanded, "Get that lantern lit!"

"Better yet," Ezra said. "Remove it, and send down a rope. I'll send Prudence and Dorette to you."

The lantern was take up and a rope was lowered. They could hear Ezra talking reassuringly to one of the children. In a matter of minutes they were pulling the first of the two girls out of the hole. Prue came up, wearing Ezra's jacket, covered in dirt and grime, and blindfolded with a silk handkerchief. Sam looked aghast and started to remove the binding.

Nathan stopped him. The sun had risen and the healer realized the damage the sudden exposure could cause. "Their eyes haven't adjusted to the light yet. You'll have to do it gradually." He could feel her chilled body through the fabric. "Get her warmed up before you do that though." The girl was like a limp rag in their arms. She was so tired and cold.

"Daddy!" Prudence called weakly as her father pulled her close. She snuggled up against him and finally gave into her weariness, falling asleep almost instantly.

Next came Dorette, also blindfolded, with a blanket wrapped around her. She sniffled and sobbed as her father took her in his other arm. He carefully carried the two girls to the warmth of the fire, kissing them softly on the tops of their grimy heads as he went.

"You're next, Ezra." Nathan said as he lowered the rope. He waited for the slack to be pulled up, but nothing happened. "Ezra?"

"There's a problem," Ezra said after a moment.

"What sort of problem?" Josiah said, his voice full of concern. What now?

"It won't work." Ezra's voice said quietly.

"What won't work? This rope is what got you in there," Nathan said, looking into the inky black.

"Yes, but something happened."

"Ezra?" Nathan said sharply. "What happened?"

"I fell," Ezra replied.

Nathan swore under his breath. "Ezra, I want to get a look at you," he demanded. He knew that when Ezra stooped to using such simple words, that something was wrong. "What did you do? Josiah, get that lantern lit and back down there."

"Please, no. Hurts my eyes."

"Cover them, damn it. What did you do?"

"Fell. I told you. I fell."

"Are you hurt, son?" Josiah called out.

"A bit."

The lantern was lit again and lowered into the pit. "Oh, Ezra," Nathan said when he finally caught sight of the gambler through the narrow opening. He was sitting against the stone floor of the pit with one hand pressed against his head, trying to protect his light-deprived eyes. There was blood matted in his hair, over most of his face and down his neck. His left arm was clumsily tied to his chest. He was wet and filthy and looked pale in the strange light.

Ezra tipped his head away from the lantern and said, "Please...too bright."

"Did you break your arm?" Nathan demanded.

"Dislocated, I think. Hurts. Can't get the rope over my arms. Can't handle the rope pullin' on it."

Nathan frowned. "You hurt your head. Can you see all right?"

Ezra laughed wryly. "Couldn't tell you. I just know that your damn lantern's 'bout to be put out permanently if you don't get it outta here."

Josiah reluctantly pulled up the lantern and looked over to Nathan. The healer could see the lament on the large man's face. "How are we going to get him out of there?" The preacher asked.

"Maybe we could rig up some sort of a harness, so that it wouldn't pull at the arm." Nathan suggested.

Josiah nodded and picked up the spare rope, trying to decide how to do this.

The voice returned. "How are Dorette and Prudence? Are they all right?"

Josiah turned his head toward the fire, where Sam sat with the two girls on his lap. He had removed their blindfolds and they seemed to have fallen asleep. The miner's face was full of contentment as he hugged the two close to him.

"They're okay," Josiah called down to him. "They're with their father, asleep."

"Good," the gambler returned. "They were so tired." The two of them couldn't help but noticed how weary Ezra sounded.

"Are you cold?" Josiah asked. God, he didn't have a jacket or a shirt anymore -- only a vest and that wasn't doing him much good.

"Yes," Ezra replied after a moment, his voice sounding very far away.

Josiah stood and grabbed the blankets that were still sitting near the fire. He tied them into the rope and lowered them. "Ezra, I got some blankets for you."

"Thank you, Mr. Sanchez," Ezra said, barely audible. "Very thoughtful."

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Nathan asked.

"No...no thanks, Mr. Jackson."

Josiah could feel the rope being tugged at weakly as Ezra tried to free the blankets from the rope with one hand. "I'll have this in a moment."

"Take your time, Ezra," Josiah encouraged.

Finally the rope was released and they heard a sigh from below. "So very tired."

"Ezra?" Nathan called and waited, not receiving a response. "Ezra?" He reached for the lantern again. "Damn it!" he muttered as he lowered the light. Ezra was curled up tightly in the blankets, his eyes closed. He flinched away from the lamp as it came closer and buried his head under the blankets.

"Ezra," Nathan said firmly, "Ezra, I need you to stay awake. We're going to get you out of there, but I need you to stay awake!" But the con man didn't move again.

**Part 19:**

"Nathan," Josiah said, looking down at the heap of blankets. "Is he alright?"

The healer spoke softly, "He got himself banged up real good. He may have a concussion, dislocated shoulder. The cold has probably got to him... I'm hoping that he isn't going into shock."

"We gotta get him out of there."

"I know, but how?" Nathan said, frowning deeply. They were so close, but still so far away.

"If we could send one of the girls back down there, she could get him into the ropes." Josiah looked over to Sam who glared back at him.

Sam growled at the two men, "I just got 'em outta there. I'm not sending 'em back in!"

Enough was enough. Sam had his children now, but Ezra was still out of reach. Josiah rose to his feet and snarled, "That man just saved their lives, just brought them back through that mine of yours without any light and who knows how bad he's hurt. How in God's name he managed to do that, I don' t know. All I know is that we're gonna get him outta there." Josiah's voice raised to a shout as he spoke the final words.

Nathan halted Josiah's progress toward Abbott. "I don't think we're gonna get much help out of those little ones for a while." He nodded at the slumbering forms. "Besides, we're gonna need to rig up some sort of a harness. His shoulder ain't gonna to be able to take the pressure if we just try to use this loop. I don't know if the girls will be able to get him into whatever we rig up if he's unconscious."

Josiah kept his gaze on Abbot. "So, what's it gonna take to enlarge that shaft?"

Sam shook his head dully. "It's not that easy. It'll take days, working upside down. It'd be easier to clear the front of the mine."

"Alright, so we get help," Nathan said. "Josiah, you search the surrounding area. I'll go to Ferris. Sam stays here with the girls and to keep an eye on Ezra. We'll get as many people as we can and we either clear out the front of the mine or we find someone who can get down to him."

The report of a rifle stopped their conversation. Josiah and Nathan turned sharply.

_Now what? _They glanced at each other and then grabbed their weapons before heading toward the sound. Sam crouched over his sleeping girls in terror. After the two men left, he carefully picked up the girls and hurried away, toward their home. He wasn't going to expose his children to any more danger.

Nathan and Josiah ran to the edge of the hill, guns drawn, ready for anything and then smiled at the sight that greeted them.

They instantly recognized the two men who stood below them, near the collapsed entrance to the mine. They waved at the newcomers who looked up at them. Josiah turned to Nathan and grinned. Neither of them could have been happier to see that bowler hat come toward them.

"Hey there, Nathan," JD shouted, "Hey there, Josiah."

"So, that's where ya went," Buck exclaimed as he climbed toward them. "We got to Ferris early, so we thought we'd ride out to meet ya last night."

"Yeah, he forgets to tell ya that he run into the husband of this lady..."

Buck cuffed JD over the head. "Enough of that, kid."

JD dodged away from the bigger man.

"Gotta tell ya, we're mighty glad to see you," Josiah said as the two scaled the steep slope toward them.

JD nodded and continued, "We camped just a short ways from here. Found your trail this mornin'. Found your horses, but not you. What's going on with this mine?"

Josiah waited until the young man was beside him. "JD," he said, laying his huge hand on the young man's shoulder. "How do you feel about spelunking?"

"_Spe_ what?"

**Part 20:**

JD adjusted the rope and looked back to the others. "Okay, I'm ready," he said and backed himself over the pit.

"There's a tight spot you gotta watch out for," Nathan said as they lowered him slowly.

The young sheriff looked upward, toward the light as he descended into the coolness of the cave. The walls were very close throughout the decent, but at one point, it was so tight that he became wedged. He had to wiggle to get around the outcrop and once again he was going downward. He landed carefully, making certain that he did not step on what he was there for.

"Okay!" he shouted upward. "I made it!" The only thing he could see was the circle of daylight above him. Nathan, Josiah and Buck looked down at him, nothing more than silhouettes against the brightness of the sky.

JD pulled off the rope, squatted down and started feeling about in the darkness. He found the gambler in a minute, his hands closing on the fabric of the blanket.

"Ezra?" he said softly, "Ezra?" He pulled back the blankets to find the gambler's head. "Hey, Ez, can you hear me?"

The gambler mumbled. JD looked up again. "He's real cold," the sheriff said.

"Who?" Ezra muttered. "Prudence? Dorette? Are you still here?" His voice sounded so sad. "Sorry. Thought we made it. Fell asleep. Sorry, dreadfully."

"No, Ezra, it's me. It's JD," JD replied, grateful to hear the southerner's voice. The lantern was descending toward him. Good, he'd have light again.

"Mr. Dunne?" Ezra tried to open his eyes, but instantly shut them and flipped the blanket back over his head. "No, no, no! Too bright."

"I gotta see what I'm doin', Ezra," JD said. "Can you sit up? Nathan figures he knows how to get ya out." Ezra mumbled something JD couldn't hear and let the sheriff pull back the blanket again.

"Ah, gee," JD muttered when he got a good look at Ezra. He looked awful. JD helped the gambler to sit up. "I'll getcha out of here, I swear, but I'll need your help," JD said. "I gotta get this rope around you."

"Won't work. Shoulder hurts." Ezra put his hand over his eyes but pulled it away when he felt the blood again. He shuddered at the thought. "You shouldn't be here, Mr. Dunne. Should be in Ferris."

JD looked up to the others. "We came lookin' for ya guys. Good thing we did. Look, I'm gonna have to get these ropes around you. It's not going under your arm or anythin'. If I can get it around your legs, that should do the trick. You'll just kinda sit in it... like a saddle."

When Ezra again tried to cover his eyes Nathan said, "JD, would ya help him with that?"

JD grabbed a bandana out of his pocket. He wet it down with Ezra's canteen and did his best to clean up some of the blood. It was all over Ezra's face, in his eyes and everywhere. JD swallowed as he did what he could to clean up the worst of it.

"Thank you, Mr. Dunne. I must be quite unsightly at this moment," Ezra said resignedly.

"You're fine," JD declared. "It's just see to see ya, is all." He decided to leave the wound alone. It wasn't bleeding any more, and he was afraid that if he tried to clean it, it would only start up again. He then bound the bandana around Ezra's eyes, finally freeing the gambler from the aggravation caused by the light.

"You did use a clean piece of cloth for the blindfold, didn't you, Mr. Dunne?" Ezra asked hopefully.

JD smiled sheepishly as he looked at the blood stained cloth and said, "Yeah, sure, Ezra." He figured that if the gambler didn't know, it wouldn't hurt anything.

He worked the ropes around Ezra as Nathan had described, keeping the weight off of the gambler's shoulder. Ezra helped as much as he could, but he could hardly move his left leg at all, and groaned when JD moved it.

"Gee, I'm sorry, Ez," JD said.

"S'all right, Mr. Dunne." Ezra replied through his teeth.

With some difficulty, JD was able to get Ezra to his feet. The gambler leaned heavily against the young sheriff. JD adjusted the ropes as the others above pulled up on the slack.

"You're gonna have to untie his arm," Nathan called down. "He won't make it through the shaft with it in front of him."

"Must you?" Ezra whispered.

"Nathan says I gotta do it," JD said. Ezra leaned against the cave wall as JD carefully untied the shirt that held the injured arm in place. The gambler shuddered as the sheriff moved the arm until it was hanging straight down. "You okay?" the young man asked hopefully.

Ezra nodded as he breathed deeply.

"I think he's ready," JD said.

"Okay, Ezra," Buck called down. "We're gonna get you out."

The lantern went up first, leaving the two in darkness. Ezra tried to stand on one leg and not lean on the wall. He sucked in his breath when they began to pull him upward. He clung onto the ropes with his right hand, trying not to sway. JD sat quietly as the light above was snuffed out and he was plunged into complete blackness, losing even the circle of daylight.

Buck, Josiah and Nathan pulled steadily on the ropes. "Careful," Nathan said. "Don't let him hit his head."

"I'd appreciate that," Ezra drawled from below as he was drawn closer to the surface.

Thankfully, they were able to maneuver him easily enough through the hole until he reached the narrowest part. With a yelp, Ezra became wedged.

"You doing okay there, hoss?" Buck asked.

"Fine...just fine," Ezra's voice was pitched a bit too high when he replied.

"We'll get you out," Nathan promised.

"You've said that before. I believe you."

"Slow and steady," Josiah said, "Just pull slow and steady." The three continued to pull, and Ezra did his best to move himself through the spot. Finally, with a cry from the gambler, they were able to free him.

"Ezra?" Josiah shouted, "Ezra, answer me!" But he didn't reply.

Nathan looked to the other two men. "Hurry. We gotta get him out... now."

They were able to see the gambler as they pulled him to the surface. He hung limply in the ropes. Nathan grabbed at the unconscious Standish and was finally able to pull him free of the pit.

"He's freezing," Nathan muttered as he pulled the ropes off. He and Buck carried Ezra to the fire as Josiah dropped another rope to get JD out. After a nod from Jackson, Buck returned to help retrieve JD.

The young man looked overwhelmed when he was on the surface again. "It's awful down there," he said. "It is so dark and cold."

"Buck, could you warm up some water?" Nathan asked without looking. "Ezra, can you hear me?" Standish remained unresponsive. Nathan considered removing the bandana to check the gambler's eyes, but it was probably better that it stayed in place for the moment. That certainly was a nasty cut on his forehead. It would need stitches.

Nathan frowned when he was able to get a good look at Ezra's bruised arm. God, that must hurt. He tentatively felt round the shoulder and said, "He's right... dislocated. Josiah, I'm gonna need you to hold him for me while I get his shoulder set."

The preacher nodded and took his position. He had been through this before. The gambler had a tricky shoulder that seemed to go out on a whim. Josiah shook his head sadly when he saw how badly bruised Standish was. Ezra's whole left side seemed to be one black and blue mark.

"Musta fallen a long way," Josiah sighed.

Nathan braced himself against the rock while Josiah got a good grip on Standish. Jackson made the difficult movement as quickly as possible. Thankfully, he was able to pop the joint back in place without too much fiddling around. He was also rewarded with a string of obscenities from the once again alert gambler.

"Ezra, for a gentleman, you sure know a few ungentlemanly words," Buck said with a laugh.

Nathan asked, "Better?"

Ezra tentatively wiggled his fingers before his blinded face. "Yes, much." He turned his head suddenly, "Oh, dear!"

"What's wrong?" JD asked.

"Miss Prudence and Miss Dorette! They aren't nearby are they?" He tilted his head, listening.

"No," Josiah responded. "It looks like their father left with 'em. Musta gone home."

"Thank goodness," Ezra said with sigh. "I would never have forgiven myself if I exposed them to such uncouth language."

Nathan smiled and shook his head. "Let's get this blindfold offa you. The natural light here shouldn't seem so bad as that lantern. Keep your eyes shut tight for a sec." He removed the bandana slowly, shading Ezra's eyes with his hand. "Try to open 'em slowly."

Ezra blinked against the light as Nathan gradually pulled his hand away. "How's that?" the healer asked him.

The gambler smiled. "Wonderful, Mr. Jackson." He squinted as he looked at the four men who surrounded him. "I never would have expected it."

"What?" JD asked. "What didn't you expect?"

"That the first sight to meet my eyes would be the four of you."

"That surprises you?" Josiah inquired, smiling.

"No." Ezra grinned. "It is surprising that it pleases me so very much."

Josiah stepped forward and suddenly pulled the two cards that were in danger of falling out of Ezra's waistcoat pocket. "This all you got left?" he asked wonderingly.

"Hardly," Ezra replied with a shake of his head, and then he stopped as he noticed the faces of the cards. He reached out and took them from Josiah. Ace of Clubs, and a Seven of Spades...with a bent corner. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" JD asked.

"Backward," Ezra said, tilting his head in amusement. He had gotten the cards correct, but backward. The card he had bent was the one he named Ace of Clubs. He continued to laugh as his confused friends looked on.

**Part 21: **

Nathan stitched up the cut on Ezra's forehead and Standish actually drank more than one cup of Buck's awful coffee. Apparently Standish had escaped without any serious injury. He had a slight concussion and a badly bruised hip. Hypothermia was no longer a danger and his shoulder was correctly settled. He would be plenty sore for a while, but seemed to be recovering nicely.

The day was warm, but not as hot as the one before. Ezra spent most of it wrapped up in blankets near the fire. He slept through the better part of the day and on through the night. The following morning, the gambler awoke feeling much improved, still stiff and sore, bruised from his head to his toe, but at least he felt warm again. He was able to clean himself up, shave and put on fresh clothing. That always improved his mood. Of course the matter of the waterlogged boots, the lost hat and the missing jacket loomed to darken his attitude.

Nathan had found the Abbott's cabin the previous day and checked in on the small family to ensure that the two girls were well. Before the five men headed for home, Ezra insisted on paying a visit himself.

Prudence and Dorette ran out of the cabin as the horsemen approached and stood for a moment, shyly regarding them as their gazes drifted from Josiah to JD to Buck to Ezra. Finally they ran to the gambler as he dismounted with Josiah's help.

"Are you Ezra?" the taller child asked. She had a tiny pixie nose, bright blue eyes and long blonde hair that she wore in a pony-tail.

"Why yes, my dear," Ezra said smoothly. "Might I suppose that you are Misses Prudence and Dorette?"

Dorette, with hair as fair as her sister, but with hazel eyes, sprang forward. She wrapped her arms around Ezra's leg. Josiah shook his head. He hadn't realized that the girls and the gambler had never actually laid eyes on each other before this.

"I took good care of it," Prudence said, taking Ezra's hand. She began to tenaciously pull him away from his horse. "Just like you said."

"I helped!" Dorette insisted. Unable to grab hold of Ezra's sling-bound left hand -- she tugged at the corner of his sling. Ezra did his best not to wince. Together the two girls dragged the stocking-footed gentleman to the back of their home.

"See! See!" Dorette said, pointing enthusiastically at the clothesline.

"I washed it real good." Prudence declared proudly.

"I helped!"

"It took a lot of scrubbin' but I got it real clean."

"I held the soap."

"I scrubbed and scrubbed and I got most of the dirt and stuff off of it." Prudence said, touching the ends of the garment that hung from the line.

"My, my, my," Ezra said, carefully pulling the clothespins from the line and handing one to each sister. "You have certainly performed an excellent task. My jacket has never looked cleaner." He smiled warmly at both of the small children.

Josiah and the others had to stifle their laughter. What was once an excellently-tailored bright-blue linen jacket, was now nothing more than a shapeless grayish rag. The preacher had to hand it to Standish, he certainly could put up a good act.

"Darlin's, you know I would don this magnificently laundered jacket immediately save for the fact that it is rather damp at the moment and I know you wouldn't want me to succumb to a cold."

The two girls agreed and Ezra was allowed to stow the jacket. He gave Buck a hopeless look as he shoved the garment into his saddlebag. "Ruined...ruined...beyond reclamation..." he muttered before returning to the children, smiling again.

They spent a short time at the Abbotts', while the children petted and fawned over Ezra. Both were concerned over his injuries, fascinated by the bandage around his head.

Sam Abbott was quiet. He stood silently apart from the rest during the visit, and seemed glad to see the lawmen leave. The family needed time to themselves to grieve the loss of their wife and mother. Abbott did stop Ezra before he left and grudgingly shook his hand, before returning to what was left of his family.

As the five men continued along toward home, Buck and JD easily paired off in the lead, with Josiah and Nathan in the middle. Ezra trailed behind. Josiah shook his head, wondering how that had happened again. Why did he always end up at the end?

Josiah slowed his horse until he was even with Ezra's and the two of them continued along with Nathan ahead of them. The preacher watched Ezra pull the sleeve of the murdered jacket out of his saddlebag. The gambler sighed at the pitiable condition of the fine material and shoved the garment back inside. He then checked the boots that were hanging upside-down on either side of his saddle, dripping still. He shook his head slowly and then looked up at Josiah. He smiled gamely when their eyes met.

"I'm mighty impressed," Josiah said.

"Concerning?" Ezra asked, touching his bandaged head tentatively.

"You," Josiah replied.

Ezra scrutinized him, unsure. "You are impressed by my ability to injure myself and destroy my property due to my own ineptitude?"

The preacher frowned. "No," he said. He watched the con man rub his shoulder. Josiah started, "The directions given by Sam..."

"...Were flawed," Ezra completed.

"Yet you found your way." Josiah nodded. "There are many Christian souls in this world, given very direct and clear instructions, given the right path to follow, and yet they become lost along the way. Many never make it to the correct destination. And yet there are others who find their way, in spite of the false direction given."

Ezra adjusted his leg in his stirrup and looked up to Josiah. "Your analogy is amusing."

"You never stopped looking for them, did you?" Josiah said softly. "Even after you ran out of fuel. Even after you were hurt."

Ezra snorted. "Ah, but Mr. Sanchez, here is where you are in error. All I wanted to do was stop. I wished to be anywhere but there. Hardly a Christian thing to think."

"But you didn't stop."

"Most likely due to my head injury," Ezra said, touching his bandaged head. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

The two said nothing for several minutes, riding side-by-side. "You did a good job, Ezra, " Josiah said finally. "I'm proud of you."

Ezra smiled for a moment and Josiah thought that perhaps he had looked content to hear those words. But that expression quickly submerged under a look of exasperation.

"Proud, Mr. Sanchez?" Ezra said rolling his eyes. "Don't tell me that you are getting those paternal urges again. Must I constantly remind you that I am not your son, nor do I chose to be put in that position."

Josiah shook his head in frustration. "Well, you may not choose it..."

Ezra chuckled. "You're incorrigible, Mr. Sanchez."

Ezra sighed and slowed his horse. He stretched stiffly and then casually turned in his saddle to scan the countryside with a careful eye.

Josiah watched the gambler who scrutinized the land that they had just crossed. The preacher recalled that he had seen Ezra do this before, looking backward as the rest of them traveled forward.

Josiah smiled, realizing something, understanding perhaps why Ezra so often traveled in the rear of the pack. "Anyone following?"

"Not today," Ezra said and smiled at the preacher before facing forward again.

**Afterward - The Second Page: **

_(Yes, I do realize that I am mixing metaphors... going from "Toward the Light" to "The Second Page". I figured I needed to add one more little bit that fell outside of the main plot of the story... plus Chris and Vin were missing from the rest of it. If I didn't add them in, they'd get miffed. And let me tell ya -- you don't want that to happen!)_

Ezra didn't look up as the figure approached his table. Finally, its shadow fell across him, blocking the sunlight that streamed through the large pane windows. He tilted his head and gazed up at the dark-clothed man.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Larabee," he drawled as he continued to shuffle his cards.

A box thumped down in front of him. "Ya got somethin' on the stage," Larabee said.

"I didn't realize that you had become a delivery boy amongst your other occupations," Ezra said as Chris sat down beside him.

Chris ignored the statement and asked, "What do ya suppose ya got?"

Ezra regarded the box for a moment. He recognized the handwriting and beamed. "Will wonders never cease!" He tugged at the twine that held the box together. A knife suddenly appeared beside him and sliced through the cords.

"Whatcha got there, Ezra?" Vin asked, sliding the knife back into its sheath. "It that some more of your fancy eats?"

"Hey!" JD appeared at the table, too. "It's not more of them fish eggs is it?"

"Caviar...we refer to those _'fish eggs'_ as caviar," Ezra said evenly. "And no, this is not caviar."

"I was hoping it was his latest shipment of brandy," Josiah put in.

"Too light for that," Chris said. "Must be somethin' else."

"Maybe his mother sent him his monthly allowance," Nathan said, joining the rest.

Ezra rolled his eyes, "My mother sending _ME_ money? Please, you have met her haven't you? It's her belief that I should be sending money to _HER_ as recompense for bringing me into the world." He carefully pulled the top off of the box. It was filled with excelsior, with a paper folded on top. "_Mr. E. P. Standish"_ was written in a feminine handwriting on the note. The paper disappeared almost instantly as Buck snatched it away and unfolded it. Ezra glanced up at him but did nothing to stop him.

_"To the foul piece of garbage that once used to find its way into my beloved tavern,"_ Buck read aloud. He laughed. "Gee Ezra, sounds like she knows ya pretty well."

"Too well," Ezra said with a sigh and made a sign for Buck to continue.

Buck cleared his throat and read, _"I take it from your telegram that you got no intention of comin' back here and I can tell you that we are all damn glad of that. Yes, Mr. Mason's is still in business. Yes, he remembered you. Yes, you owe me -- the bill is enclosed and I expect payment for shipment as well as purchase."_

Buck looked up from the letter as Ezra pulled away the excelsior to find the hat carefully packed within. With a heartfelt sigh, Ezra pulled the black low-crown Stetson from the container and brushed it off.

"Looks just like your old one," JD said and Ezra turned it around in his hands, grinning foolishly.

"But not quite as dusty," Nathan said knowing.

"Mighty fine," Josiah commented.

The gambler continued to smile as he gazed at the hat. "Exactly the one," he said.

"Ya gonna put that thing on?" Vin asked, "Or are ya just gonna look at it all day?"

"Of course, it will need to be blocked and properly fitted," Ezra explained.

Chris snagged the hat out of Ezra's hands and plopped it onto the gambler's head. "Looks like it fits just fine."

Ezra glared at Chris for a moment then shifted his attention to the large mirror behind the bar. He tilted his head and gazed at his reflection. "Yes, perhaps."

Buck resumed reading. _"With any luck, this should keep you out of my town for good. I don't want any shiftless drifters, good-for-nothing con artists or detestable snakes in my tavern. Don't ever show your ugly face around here again."_

Ezra continued to gaze into the mirror. He rubbed his chin and said, "Ugly?" He looked hurt for a moment and then smiled broadly at his newly adorned image. He shook his head decisively. No, definitely not '_ugly'._

_"Pay me or I will send the law after you. With much consternation -- Mony... que De..." _Buck stuttered. "_Deh-ran-lee-ah-you."_

"Deranleau." Ezra said helpfully. "Monique Deranleau. A woman of great taste."

"Doesn't sound like she likes you much," JD said.

"Not much at all," Vin agreed.

"Second page." Ezra said, running his fingers along the brim of his hat. He pulled it down slightly to cover the healing scar on his forehead.

"What?" Buck asked.

"Second page," Ezra didn't move his gaze from his reflection as he continued to model his new hat. "With Miss Monique, there's always a second page."

Buck fingered the paper in his hand and discovered that there was indeed a second page. He continued reading. "_P.S. I got a bottle of you favorite cognac hidden away. Stop by and I'll show you where it's kept."_

"Gentlemen," Ezra said standing gracefully. "I believe I shall go for a promenade."

"That anything like a lemonade?" JD asked.

Ezra opened his mouth to comment, but instead just smiled and headed to the door.

"He means he's goin' out for a walk to show off his new hat," Josiah supplied.

Ezra pushed through the batwing doors and came to a halt to allow Mrs. Potter to pass.

She smiled at him and said, "Aren't you looking dapper today, Mr. Standish."

"Why, Mrs. Potter," Ezra exclaimed, "You always know the perfect thing to say." He grandly tipped his hat to her. "And might I say you are looking lovely this afternoon -- an absolute vision in periwinkle."

"Oh, Mr. Standish!" she said with a giggle and hurried on down the boardwalk.

Ezra sighed and headed in the opposite direction, tipping his hat to the citizens of Four Corners as he passed. They returned his advances with smiles or nods or by touching the brims of their hats. Children diverted their paths to greet him. One girl nearly curtseyed.

He smiled. Who would have thought that he would end up in a place like this? A place where people were actually glad to see him walking down the street. Where women and children would stop to talk to him and men wouldn't be drawing their guns on him and threatening to run him out of town.

_Rather nice really_. Second page. It was as if he was allowed a second page in his life. _Really_, he thought, _rather nice._

**THE END - **_by NotTasha - finished 6/10/00_


End file.
